Furbs wrote:
I never played the original, and this isnt meant as a flame, but are people really impressed by how this looks? In comparison to say AoE3 I mean?

So sell me then - whats good about this ahead of RoN and AoE? Is it sheer number of units?

Remember TA? Imagine that but with slightly better graphics, a map you can zoom all the way out of and a crash to desktop every few games, and a really ugly/messy interface which looks like it's from a pre-release alpha.

Nah, when TA came out it was in a worser state than SupCom was at release. At least you can try to play the bigger maps with many opponents in SupCom, in TA you were firmly restricted from those based on your Ram specs at that time. Also, the SupCom AI's can use superweapons (the TA AI never used a nuke for example, not that I am saying the SupCom AI is perfect but it's better than TA's AI) and the interface has a mini-version (press Alt-Up or Alt-Down a few times) and is extremely moddable as well (that UI mod can even be used in ranked games). Though I still use the default-interface, what's the issue about it being too big when you can zoom out so much?

There are some things "missing", surely, like line-of-sight or higher terrain that gives fire range bonusses but SupCom isn't nor shouldn't be TA in all aspects. Its own strengths, like the zoom, really make up for that missing stuff big time if you ask me.

It might also be best to wonder about how the game plays instead of how it looks. SupCom will never win best graphics or best art awards (at least not until you see a really big battle) but the land-air-sea unit scala, the things you can do with the interface and the commands are definitely worth a try.

@performance-problems: try setting the mini-map in Cartographic View (press Y when in-game I think), since the 3251 patch, the performance hasn't been such a big problem here anymore although I do know I don't have to try a 3vs3 or 4vs4 on a 20vs20 map or larger on my single-core rig or it'll slow down in the first ten minutes.

I'm really loving forged alliance. Supreme commander is a dogs breakfast that won't run on my relatively modern XPS laptop, but for some reason forged alliance runs fine unless I run on the largest maps when I start to hit slowdown.

Still, one thing I hate about this is navies - I mean, why the fuck do I want to build boats when I can build giant stompy metal robots of death?

Then, suddenly, a giant fucking Sacred Assault Bot appears and starts flinging my untits around with gay abandon, lasering my defence points as it approaches. What? Another one is wading in from the ocean!?

Now my base is gone and my commander is fleeing. My bombers could probably finish the job if I really tried, but what's the fucking point now? My base is entirely destroyed and what ground units I have left are doomed to the same horrible death as their siblings.

I just love this game. I didn't really pay to much attention to the description of the Cybran destroyers and so it was a massive WTF moment when one of mine unfolded legs and walked up the beach I named it Zoidberg...